Adjustable rack

ABSTRACT

A support rack for an exercise machine comprises a back plate having an upper face, a lower face, a lower edge, and an upper edge and formed for allowing to place an item to be supported. A lip is formed at the lower edge of the back plate and projects toward a side of the front face of the back plate. A hinge has a first hinge arm attached to the upper edge of the back plate. A support plate, having a front face and having a rear face, has its lower edge attached to a second hinge arm of the hinge. Attachment means are furnished on the rear face of the support plate for attaching the support plate to a part of an exercise machine for allowing an exercising person to view the item to be supported.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an adjustable rack for use onexercise equipment for books, magazines, portable radio, walkman,portable cassette players, portable CD players, water bottles, etc.

[0003] 2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention IncludingPrior Art

[0004] In recent years there has been an tremendous increase in the useof cardiovascular exercise machines. Machines of this type include, butare not limited to, treadmills, steppers, ski machines, and stationarycycling machines. A typical workout on a cardiovascular exercise machinelasts a half hour or more. Many people who use the aforementionedmachines prefer to read books, magazines, to listen to music, and evento write while exercising. While devices do exist for the purpose ofholding these types of articles, their use is limited to certainmachines and, if used on other machines, may result in undesirableoperation of the machine itself.

[0005] Attempting to operate the aforementioned machines while holding abook, magazine or a radio creates a hazardous condition. Many exercisemachines are equipped with handles or handrails and it is not prudent tooperate the machines without utilizing handles or handrails.Furthermore, in connection with some machines, such as a ski machine,reading a book or magazine would prove nearly impossible since bothhands are required to operate the machine at all times.

[0006] Most of the types of exercise machines listed above have adisplay panel which contains buttons, charts, LED and digital displays.The display panel is used to set machine difficultly levels and speeds,monitor the elapsed time of the workout, heart rate, etc. This displaypanel is typically tilted to an angle that allows the information on thedisplay panel to be easily read. The display panel tilt angle causesarticles placed upon it to slide off.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,460 to Dale discloses a stand for acalculator. The stand is removably mountable on a table top, desk-top orlike planar support and is disposed skid-resistant on the planersupport. The planar support surface is furnished with felt stripsabutting the surface.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,082 to Pagano discloses a foldable bookholder. The book holder can be engaged adjacent to the edge of a tableor desk and furnishes a display and storage of large illustrated books.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,427 to Bruce Finn discloses a portablemulti-purpose rack for use on exercise equipment. The rack has atransparent substantially planar surface with flanges extending atopposite angles from each end. The bottom flange forms a lip which holdsa book or other object thereon and a user may place an object or bookdirectly on the rack without obstructing the view on the display screen.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,256 to Siebenaler et al. discloses a rack forreading material. The rack is made of two spaced-apart, upwardlyextending frame members, each having an upper hook portion for engagingthe top edge of the exercise console and an up-turned lower hook portionfor engaging and supporting the lower edge of a book or other readingmaterial.

[0011] Another structure of possible interest in this connection is theso-called Landice rack, however, no corresponding patent is known to theapplicant. The Landice rack is a rather specially adapted structure andis not suitable for general application. The Landice rack only works fora single display panel thickness. In addition, many display panels havean angle too shallow for use in connection with a Landice rack.Furthermore, the Landice rack is not physically attached to a machineand can be easily knocked off the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] 1. Purposes of the Invention

[0013] It is an object of the present invention to provide for anadjustable rack, which adjustable rack, when affixed to the displaypanel of an exercise machine, provides a place for the exerciser toplace articles.

[0014] It is a further object of the present invention to provide for amethod which enables a person exercising to temporarily move the rack,and whatever is resting on the rack, out of the way to visually checkthe digital or LED displays or to physically adjust the controls on thedisplay panel.

[0015] It is a further object of the present invention to furnish a bookrack which can be easily repositioned to make adjustments to controls ona display.

[0016] It is yet a further object of the invention to furnish a bookrack which prevents unintentional interference with controls on acontrol panel.

[0017] These and other objects and advantages of the present inventionwill become evident from the description which follows.

[0018] 2. Brief Descriptions of the Invention

[0019] The present invention provides for a support rack for an exercisemachine. A back plate has an upper face, a lower face, a lower edge, andan upper edge and is formed for allowing to place an item to besupported. A lip is attached to or formed at the lower edge of the backplate and projects toward a side of the front face of the back plate. Ahinge has a first hinge arm attached to the upper edge of the back plateand has a second hinge arm. A support plate has a front face, and a rearface and has a lower edge attached to the second hinge arm. Attachmentmeans are furnished on the rear face of the support plate for attachingthe support plate to a part of an exercise machine for allowing anexercising person to view the item to be supported.

[0020] Supports can be attached to a rear face of the back plate tospace the back plate from a control panel of the exercise machine.

[0021] The hinge can be a film hinge. The first hinge arm can beadhesively attached to the front face of the back plate, and the secondhinge arm can be adhesively attached to the front face of the supportplate.

[0022] The film hinge can show a bead in a cross-section in an areabetween the back plate and the support plate giving axial stability tothe film hinge. A first thinner section can be provided between the beadand the first hinge arm, and a second thinner section can be providedbetween the bead and the second hinge arm. The first hinge arm can bewedge-shaped, and the second hinge arm can be wedge shaped.

[0023] A plane of the lip can be extending at an angle of from about 80to 100 degrees relative to a plane spanned by the back plate.

[0024] The attachment means can be a strip with hooks for a hook andloop attachment or a strip with loops for a hook and loop attachment.

[0025] Free corners at an end of edges of the lip, disposed remoterelative to the back plate, can be of rounded shape, and free corners atan end of edges of the support plate, disposed remote relative to theback plate, can be of rounded shape.

[0026] The upper edge of the back plate and the lower edge of the backplate can be disposed in parallel. The lip can have an edge attached tothe back plate. The lip can have a second edge disposed remote from theback plate and free toward the outside. The second edge of the lip canbe disposed in parallel to the lower edge of the back plate. The supportplate can have the lower edge disposed parallel to the upper edge of theback plate. The support plate can have a second edge disposed remotefrom the back plate and free toward the outside. The second edge of thesupport plate can be disposed in parallel to the upper edge of the backplate.

[0027] The support plate, the back plate, and the lip can be made of atransparent plastic having a thickness of from about 2 to 4 millimeters.

[0028] The lip can be attached or formed by bending an integral plate.

[0029] One of the advantages of the present invention is that theadjustable rack can be easily repositioned to make adjustments tocontrols on the display of an exercise machine, which is very convenientsince the adjustable rack does not have to be detached from the exercisemachine and placed, for example, on the floor. In addition, theadjustable rack of the present invention can be physically attached toan exercise machine and is not easily knocked off. The inventionadjustable rack can also be an integral part of the display of anexercise machine, it can be used on display panels with a curved topedge and on display panels with a curved front face.

[0030] The supports, provided on the underside of the back plate,elevate the adjustable rack off the surface of a display panel,preventing thereby a resting of the adjustable rack on various controls,a scratching of the display panel, and an unintentional interferencewith the controls. In addition, the spacing between the display panelsurface and the back plate, furnished by the supports, allows for heatdissipation.

[0031] The adjustable rack of the present invention can be made of aclear plastic, but is not limited to clear plastic.

[0032] The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself,however, both as to its construction and its method of operation,together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be bestunderstood from the following description of specific embodiments whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In the accompanying drawings, in which are shown several of thevarious possible embodiments of the present invention:

[0034]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an adjustable rack;

[0035]FIG. 2 is a top view of an adjustable rack, showing the front sideat the upper portion of the figure;

[0036]FIG. 3 is a side view of an adjustable rack disposed upside down.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0037] In accordance with the present invention, the adjustable rackconsists of a back plate 1 having a front face and a rear face andhaving a lip 2 at the lower edge at an approximate upward right anglerelative to the back plate as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, wherein thelip 2 protrudes at the edge of the front face of the back plate 1. Theback plate 1 can have a size of from about 20 to 50 centimeters timesfrom about 10 to 30 centimeters and preferably has a size of from about25 to 40 centimeters times from about 15 to 25 centimeters. The lip 2can have a size from about 20 to 50 centimeters times from about 1 to 10centimeters and preferably from about 25 to 40 centimeters times fromabout 4 to 6 centimeters.

[0038] The front face at the lower edge of the upper support plate 3 andthe front face of the upper edge of the back plate 1 can be attached toa rear face of an elastic flat film hinge 4 along the longitudinal edgesof the film hinge 4.

[0039] Alternatively, the lower edge of the upper support plate 3 andthe upper edge of the back plate 1 can be attached to opposite sides ofthe film hinge 4.

[0040] Along the upper edge of the back plate 1, the support plate 3will be attached using a hinge 4 disposed between the back plate 1 andthe support plate 3. The support plate can have a size from about 20 to50 centimeters times from about 1 to 10 centimeters and preferably fromabout 25 to 40 centimeters times from about 4 to 6 centimeters.Preferably, the longest edge dimensions of the back plate 1, of thesupport plate 3, and of the lip 2 are substantially of identical sizeand are disposed parallel to each other. The support plate 3 canalternatively be subdivided in sections separately turnable along thedirection of an axis of the hinge 4. Similarly, the hinge 4 can berepresented by a plurality of hinge sections connected either to thesupport plate 3 or, alternatively, to the several sections of thesupport plate 3.

[0041] The back plate 1, the support plate 3, and the lip 2 can have athickness of from about 1 to 10 millimeters and preferably from about 2to 4 millimeters.

[0042] The hinge 4 connects the back plate 1 and the support plate 3 andenables rotation between the back plate 1 and the support plate 3. Oncethe support plate 3 is attached to a frame element of the exercisemachine, it is possible to have the back plate 1 in a supportingposition for, for example, a book, or the back plate 1 can be flippedout of the way and then the control panel of the exercise machine,otherwise disposed below the back plate 1, can be operated. The hinge 4can be attached in any manner to the back plate 1 and to the supportplate 3. If a preferred plastic material is used to furnish the hinge,then the hinge could be screwed, riveted, glued or “plastically welded”to the front face at the upper edge of the back plate 1 and to a frontface of the support plate 3 along an elongated edge of the support plate3. The hinge 4 itself can be of any variety, for example, a typicalpin-type hinge used on a door, or even a composite living hinge. Ingeneral, the hinge 4 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be any device whichenables a one-dimensional rotation of the back plate 1 with respect tothe support plate(s) 3. Preferably, the hinge 4 is made of asubstantially flat strip having a thickness from about 0.5 to 2millimeters and having a width of from about 1 to 4 centimeters andpreferably from about 2 to 3 centimeters. The film hinge preferablyshows a suitable cross-section as seen perpendicular to the longitudinalextension of the film hinge. The center portion of the perpendicularcross-section resembles a bead on a string, where the bead area providesstrength and stability to an axial direction of the hinge 4, and whereinthe section between the beads provides elasticity for turning around thestabilized axial direction. Preferably, two bead sections 13, givingaxial stability, are provided and three adjacent thinner sections,giving elasticity for turning, are provided adjoining the two beadsections 13 and two hinge arms 14. The bead sections 13 can have adiameter of from about 0.5 to 2 millimeters. The hinge arms 14 areformed with a wedge-like cross-section and the wedges are narrowing tothe outer end by from about 25 percent to 75 percent. This avoidssubstantially that the film hinge 4 would be engaged at its longitudinaledges by protruding elements, which might lead to a separation of thefilm hinge from the back plate 1 or from the support plate 3. The hingeis preferably constructed such that the support plate can swivel by atleast about 180 degrees around the hinge axis and preferably by at least90 degrees in two directions assuming a starting position of the supportplate 3 disposed in parallel to the back plate 1.

[0043] When the longest dimensions of the back plate 1 and of thesupport plate 3 are of equal size, then the film hinge is preferablyfrom about 0.5 to 25 millimeter shorter than said longest dimension andis preferably from about 1 to 13 millimeters shorter. The distance ofcorner 12 of the back plate 1 from the corner 11 of the support plate 3can be from about 3 to 10 millimeters and can be from about 1.5 to 3times the average thickness of back plate 1 and support plate 3 and ispreferably from about 1.8 to 2.3 times the average thickness of backplate 1 and support plate 3.

[0044] The back plate 1 is shown in the FIGS. 1 through 3 as a flat andplanar structure having a rectangular shape when viewed from the frontside. However, the back plate 1 can also assume other shapes. Inparticular, shapes involving an upper edge disposed in parallel to thelower edge are preferred embodiments. There can be various reasons forproviding alternate shapes of the back plate. In particular, the facesof some digital displays, for example, are non-flat when viewed from theside. For this type of display, the back plate 1, as viewed from theside, should match the shape of the display and follow the contour ofthe display. In addition, for certain exercise machines, the back plate1, as viewed from the front side, should be a shape other thanrectangular to avoid possible interferences with moving parts of theexercise equipment itself. If the adaptable rack were to be used on theNordictrac Pro ski machine, for example, the adaptable rack wouldrequire a back plate 1, wherein the horizontal width of the back plate 1near the upper edge is narrower as compared to the horizontal width ofthe back plate 1 near the lower edge of the back plate 1 to avoidinterference with the cords for exercising the arms of the personoperating the machine.

[0045] The purpose of the lip 2 along the lower edge of the back plate 1is to support the articles that may be placed there by the user of theexercise equipment. The lip 2 may be formed by bending the lower portionof the back plate 1 through an angle 8 that results in an angled edge 5,which provides for a smooth transition from the back plate 1 to the lip2. While near perpendicularity between the back plate 1 and lip 2 ispreferred, other angles may be necessary for the lip 2 to adequatelyperform its function on certain digital displays. The angle between thelip 2 and a plane spanned by the back plate 1 can be from about 80 to100 degrees. In general, obtuse angles should be avoided to prevent thearticles from inadvertently sliding off the lip 2. In addition, theradius of curvature at the junction between the back plate 1 and the lip2 should be less than 5 millimeters and is preferably less than onemillimeter.

[0046] The free corner 6, formed by the intersection of the horizontalfree outer edge of the lip 2 and the side edges of the lip 2 should berounded or chamfered. Rounding or chamfering this free corner 6 not onlyremoves the sharp edge that could be harmful but also improves thestructural integrity. All other corners such as the free corners 9 ofthe support plate 3 are less likely to come in contact with the user.Nevertheless, the free corners 9 of the support plate 3 should also havea small rounding or chamfers for safety reasons. The minimum radius ofcurvature along the edge formed of the free corners 6 or 9 can be lessthan 2 centimeters and is preferably less than one centimeter and morethan 2 millimeters.

[0047] The adaptable rack is capable of being attached, eitherpermanently or temporarily, to the digital display or control panel onwhich it is being used. Failing to properly attach the adaptable rackcould result in the rack sliding off the display panel. Thus, anattachment means or attachment strip 7 is furnished at the support plate3. The attachment strip 7 would be located on the back face of thesupport plate 3. For temporary attachment and for removable attachment,a strip of hook and loop attachment, as commercially available under theVelcro trademark, could be placed on the lower side of the support plate3. By placing a mating strip of loop or hook attachment, sold under theVelcro trademark, on a top edge of the display panel, the adjustablerack could be temporarily affixed to the display panel. The length ofthe attachment strip 7 can be from about 0.5 to 0.9 times the longestdimension of the support plate 3 and is preferably from about 0.6 to 0.7times the longest dimension of the support plate 3. The width of theattachment strip 7 can be from about 0.3 to 0.5 times the width of thesupport plate 3. The strength of the attachment strip 7 should be suchthat the back plate 1 and the lip 2 is capable of securely supportingitems with a 2-kilogram weight and preferably items of a 5-kilogramweight.

[0048] For those display panels whose geometry prohibits the attachmentalong the upper edge, such as a curved upper edge, for example, thesupport plate 3 could be attached to the front face of the displaypanel. For a more permanent attachment, the support plate 3 could bescrewed, riveted, glued or taped to either the top edge or the frontface of the display panel.

[0049] The back plate 1 will be disposed elevated off the surface of thedisplay panel by a series of supports 10. The supports 10 aremultifunctional, keeping the back plate 1 stable as well as protectingthe front face of the display panel from scratches or other damage thatwould result if the back plate 1 were allowed to rest directly upon it.The supports 10 can be of substantially semispherical shape and have adiameter of from about 0.5 to 1 centimeter. Keeping the back plate 1elevated off the front face of the display panel also prevents any heatgenerated by the display panel instrumentation from being trapped behindthe back plate 1, which could cause damage to the instrumentation.

[0050] In addition, the front faces of most display panels include avariety of controls to regulate the operation of the exercise machine.These controls include buttons, switches, dials, slides, and the like,most of which lie above the plane of the front face. These controls areused to turn the machine on and off, to set machine difficulty levelsand speeds, to monitor the elapsed time of the workout, to display theexercising person's heart rate, etc. Contact between the back plate 1and any of these controls is not only undesirable, but could also bedangerous. Serious bodily harm could result if the exercising personexperiences an unexpected change in speed or difficulty level presentedby the machine, or if the machine is unexpectedly turned on or off. Thesupports 10, if properly sized and located on the underside of the backplate 1, will keep the rack elevated sufficiently above the controls toavoid contact. The supports 10 can be made of most any shape ormaterial. The preferred material is one which is soft and resilient,such as rubber, and which will not cause damage to the display panelupon which it rests.

[0051] The adaptable rack can be manufactured in several ways. For asmall production, the preferred method is to cut the back plate 1 longenough to bend the lower portion to form the lip 2. The bending isaccomplished by applying heat to the plastic along the area to be bent.By adjusting the width of the heat source, the radius of the angled edge5 can be varied. The same method could be used to contour the back plate1 to match the shape of a given display panel, if necessary.

[0052] While not preferred, the back plate 1 and the lip 2 could be twoseparate pieces which are then glued or welded together. This method isnot preferred because the glued or welded joint is considerably weakerand less likely to survive if exposed to large forces or pressures ascompared with a single-piece structure.

[0053] For a large scale production, the back plate 1 and lip 2 could beextruded in long lengths and then cut to the desired width, or the piececan be injection molded.

[0054] The preferred material for the rack is a substantially cleartransparent material, such as Lexan or plexiglass. Plastic materialssuch as these are preferred due to their being lightweight,impact-resistant and able to resist moderate levels of stress. Since thefilm hinge 4, employed on the object of the present invention enablesthe rack to be rotated up and out of the way of the display panel, therack could be constructed out of many other materials, such as opaqueplastics, thin metal, wood, etc. Glass, while it can be used, should beavoided due to its brittleness and the threat of injury that wouldresult should the glass shatter. In the preceding description, thepreferred plastic material for the object of the invention isplexiglass. However, it is understood that many other materials can beused in a similar manner without departing from the spirit of thepresent invention.

[0055] As set forth above, the adjustable rack of the present inventioncan be easily repositioned on a control panel to allow makingadjustments to the controls on a display. The hinge or film hinge 4 makeit convenient to move the back plate 1 with the lip 2 out of way if theback plate is not to be used, which is much neater than, for example,placing a rack on a floor.

[0056] While a preferred embodiment is made with clear plastic, this isnot a limitation and essentially any two-dimensional material, forexample a flat or curved material, transparent or not, can be employed.The attachment means allows to removably and physically attach the rackto an exercise machine, where the rack is sufficiently attached such asnot to be easily knocked off. If desired, the rack of the presentinvention can be constructed as an integral part of a display of anexercise machine. In addition, the rack can be used on display panelshaving a curved top edge or a curved front face.

[0057] The supports 10 are attached to the rear face of the back plate 1such that the back plate 1 rests on these supports 10 and is disposedelevated relative to a surface of a display panel. The adjustable rackaccording to the present invention does not rest unevenly on variouscontrols, will not scratch a surface of a control panel of an exercisemachine, will prevent unintentional operation and/or interfere withcontrol elements, and also enables heat dissipation.

[0058] It will be understood that each of the elements described above,or two or more together, may also find a useful application in othertypes of racks differing from the types described above.

[0059] While the invention has been illustrated and described asembodied in the context of an adjustable rack for use on exercisemachines, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, sincevarious modifications and structural changes may be made withoutdeparting in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

[0060] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal thegist of the present invention that others can, by applying currentknowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omittingfeatures that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constituteessential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of thisinvention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims:
 1. A support rack for an exercisemachine comprising a back plate having an upper face and having a lowerface and having a lower edge and having an upper edge and formed forallowing to place an item to be supported; a lip formed at the loweredge of the back plate and projecting toward a side of the front face ofthe back plate; a hinge having a first hinge arm attached to the upperedge of the back plate and having a second hinge arm; a support platehaving a front face and having a rear face and having a lower edgeattached to the second hinge arm; attachment means furnished on the rearface of the support plate for attaching the support plate to a part ofan exercise machine for allowing an exercising person to view the itemto be supported.
 2. The support rack for an exercise machine accordingto claim 1, further comprising supports attached to a rear face of theback plate to space the back plate from a control panel of the exercisemachine.
 3. The support rack for an exercise machine according to claim1, wherein the hinge is a film hinge; wherein the first hinge arm isadhesively attached to the front face of the back plate, and wherein thesecond hinge arm is adhesively attached to the front face of the supportplate.
 4. The support rack for an exercise machine according to claim 3,wherein the film hinge shows a bead in a cross-section in an areabetween the back plate and the support plate giving axial stability tothe film hinge, wherein a first thinner section is provided between thebead and the first hinge arm, wherein a second thinner section isprovided between the bead and the second hinge arm, and wherein thefirst hinge arm is wedge-shaped, and wherein the second hinge arm iswedge shaped.
 5. The support rack for an exercise machine according toclaim 1, wherein a plane of the lip is extending at an angle of fromabout 80 to 100 degrees relative to a plane spanned by the back plate.6. The support rack for an exercise machine according to claim 1,wherein the attachment means is a strip with hooks for a hook and loopattachment.
 7. The support rack for an exercise machine according toclaim 1, wherein the attachment means is a strip with loops for a hookand loop attachment.
 8. The support rack for an exercise machineaccording to claim 1, wherein free corners at an end of edges of thelip, disposed remote relative to the back plate, are of rounded shape,and wherein free corners at an end of edges of the support plate,disposed remote relative to the back plate, are of rounded shape.
 9. Thesupport rack for an exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein theupper edge of the back plate and the lower edge of the back plate aredisposed in parallel; wherein the lip has an edge attached to the backplate, and wherein the lip has a second edge disposed remote from theback plate and free toward the outside, and wherein the second edge ofthe lip is disposed in parallel to the lower edge of the back plate;wherein the support plate has the lower edge disposed parallel to theupper edge of the back plate, and wherein the support plate has a secondedge disposed remote from the back plate and free toward the outside,and wherein the second edge of the support plate is disposed in parallelto the upper edge of the back plate.
 10. The support rack for anexercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the support plate, theback plate, and the lip are made of a transparent plastic having athickness of from about 2 to 4 millimeters.
 11. The support rack for anexercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the lip is formed bybending an integral plate.